(Members only) On Saturday September 23, 10:00 A.M., we will be taking a free, custom-made tour of the Spring Grove Cemetery covering the monuments which are inspired by ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt. Meet me at the Customer Service Center (4521 Spring Grove Ave, Cincinnati, 45232), and you will be fascinated by the number, range, and beauty of these monuments, and intrigued by the personal stories of the important Cincinnatians for whom they were commissioned! This tour is for AIA members only, and to reserve a spot please contact our Secretary, Alice Crowe, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Dr. Goran Nikšić, City Archaeologist and Architect for City of Split, Croatia (Service for the Old City Core)

"Diocletian's Palace: Design and Construction" (Norton Lecture)

Abstract: Although Diocletian's Palace in Split has been a topic of scientific interest for a long time, there has been no full consensus about some of its basic elements, from the typological definition to the original purpose of the building, from the original appearance of the whole down to the reliable reconstruction of the architectural parts. Traditionally, Diocletian’s Palace has been described as a unique combination of an imperial villa and a typical Roman military camp. Recent research has established the probable original purpose of the complex in Split as the imperial manufacture of textiles. It was later, most likely already during the construction, adapted for the residence of the retired Emperor. Detailed architectural analysis shows that the mistakes in the design and execution, and the unfinished decoration can be explained by the change of architectural concept which occurred probably during the first phase of construction, and by the very short deadline given to the builders by the Emperor who probably retired to his palace in Split earlier than originally planned. Finally, a new interpretation is given of this complex building, in terms of design and construction process.

Thurs. March 8, 6:00 p.m. -- Cincinnati Art Museum

Dr. Rex E. Wallace

"The Etruscan Stele of Vicchio" Co-Sponsored by the Etruscan Foundation as part of the Cinelli Lecture Series

Abstract:In the summer of 2015, during the final day of the final excavation season at the Etruscan site of Poggio Colla (the Mugello Valley Archaeological Project), researchers led by Professors Greg Warden and Michael Thomas made a remarkable discovery: a sandstone stele approximately four feet tall, two feet, 2 inches wide, and weighing 400 lbs. The stele was embedded in the foundation beneath the podium of an Etruscan temple built at the beginning of the 5th c. BCE. The stele belongs to the last half, or perhaps the last quarter, of the 6th c. BCE and is thus among the oldest inscribed stelae in the Etruscan corpus.

The stele was designed to be free standing; the lower portion of the stone was not finished and would have been inserted in the ground or a base. The upper portion was smoothed; the sides beveled and finished.

The recovery of the stele has generated much interest in the popular press and in scientific publications, both here and abroad, because it bears three inscriptions, one of which is quite long, running up and down the sides and over the top of the stone. Two additional inscriptions were incised on the face of the stone, one at the top and the other along the left side. The inscriptions provide clues to understanding the function of the stele and the social context in which it was embedded. This lecture, which presents an overview of the stele’s discovery and its physical condition, and a summary of difficulties associated with the reading and analysis of the inscriptions, proves to be a cautionary tale. Although finds such as the Etruscan Stele of Vicchio are spectacular, and make important contributions to our knowledge of Etruscan, the current state of our understanding of the language leaves us asking more questions than we can answer.